


The Price of Revenge

by Sydlee3



Category: RWBY
Genre: Angst, Animal Transformation, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-07
Updated: 2015-10-21
Packaged: 2018-03-06 13:11:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,628
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3135683
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sydlee3/pseuds/Sydlee3
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU where the White Fang took their focus off of petty revenge crimes, thinking instead that they needed to make the humans feel the pain they had suffered, and developed a serum that could turn a human into a faunus. Team JNPR is put on the scene, but they don't know about the White Fang's plan. Inject as many as possible. Ren and Nora both get hit, and as a result, have to help each other face the changes that both of them now have.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prolouge

**Author's Note:**

> The prologue is from Jaune's perspective. It's pretty short, and it's a setup for the next chapter. I will probably update weekly/bi-weekly. The main ship is Renora, (Ren x Nora), but there will be Arkos, and I may bring team RWBY into the picture.

It had started out as a simple mission. All Team JNPR had to do was scope out the abandoned medical facility on the edge of Vale. They had heard rumors that the White Fang was nesting, doing research and other illegal experiments, and all they were supposed to do was see if the rumors were true.

“Ren? Nora? Pyrrha?” Jean was lying on his cot, keeping watch, (the others were getting some sleep, or at least trying to), when he had heard the soft crunch of boots on rubble.

“Juane?” Pyrrha replied. “Is everything okay?” Her voice was worried, and Jean could hear her panic rising in her voice.

“I... I think I heard something.” Juane replied, clearly unsure.

He heard the soft waking sounds as Pyrrha woke up Ren and Nora,

“Pancakes?” Nora mumbled sleepily.

Ren wordlessly tapped her shoulder, and she snapped into position, reaching for her hammer. He drew his own guns as well.

Pyrrha was readying for battle too, and in the blink of an eye everything was in place.

Juane heard it again, the sound again, and drew his own sword. He pulled out his phone, and pushed the button to signal Beacon, before dropping the device back into his pocket.

They were ready when they saw the  hordes of faunus jump out at them. Ren kicked the first one in the stomach, then whipped around and pounded two more on the head with his guns. Nora swung up with her hammer, and took out two members. She used the momentum to shoot herself into the air, where she took down the two airborne faunus that were probably only surveyors, their bodies leaving craters in the ground.

Pyrrha was magnificent as always, using her aura to her advantage, and swinging and punching and dodging like crazy taking out at least ten men in under 30 seconds. Juane was so busy watching her that he missed the girl who charged at him, claws and teeth bared, until he felt the scratch burning on his arm. He snapped back to his senses, and waited until she spun around, and then jammed the butt of his shield into her head, effectively knocking her out.

Meanwhile, chaos had clearly erupted around them. Ren was starting to slow down, and he was putting less speed and more power into his attacks. He did a scissor kick, and took out two more members, but some guy came up behind him, and put him in a chokehold. Nora whipped around with her hammer, and slapped him off, leaving the confused faunus spinning like a hockey puck into one of his buddies.

Ren nodded to Nora, and she winked in return. Pyrrha was still going strong, and she jammed the butt of her spear into another member. The flow, wherever it had come from was starting to die down, and the team was surrounded by passed out white fang members.

Jaune took care of a couple, using the blunt edge of his sword to hack into people’s arms and legs, effectively taking them down.

When the last soldier fell, everyone except Pyrrha was breathing heavily, and Ren even sat down. Nora plopped down next to him, and eventually Jaune sat as well, but about ten feet away.

However, despite their reflexes, they were all surprised when one of the White Fang whipped up with two syringes, full of a strange, sapphire liquid, and jammed them into Ren and Nora’s backs. She pushed the plunger and laughed.

Ren and Nora started to writhe in pain, eyes glazing over, and Nora screamed, both of them curling in on themselves. Pyrrha was quick to attack, and the girl was down before she knew what hit her, but she was a bit too late. Ren started to shiver, and Nora started to growl, and Juane knew that he had to do something. He was the leader, right?

“Ren! Nora! Hang in there, we’ll get help!” He yelled, hoping that they could hear him.

Beacon had excellent timing, and before they knew it, Glynda was clacking her stilettos on the ground, and demanding to know what was wrong, and ask if they needed backup. She stopped dead in her tracks.

“What happened? Are they dead? No, I can sense aura... but it’s completely out of control!” Glynda was clearly angry. She signaled for the aircraft to descend, and she airlifted all of them out of the area. Immediately Ren and Nora were wheeled away on gurneys, still writhing and screaming. It was... unsettling, and Jaune couldn’t help but hope that the two would be okay again.

 

 


	2. Waking Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ren and Nora wake up, and realize that things are not the same as when they went to sleep.

When Lie Ren woke up, everything was cold, and everything felt... off. He was in a hospital bed for one, and wearing a silly pale blue dressing gown. His vision was... duller than usual. He looked at his hands, and started to panic. The backs of his hands were covered in dark, forest green scales, that spread up his arms and around. He could feel the scales now, down his back, and... legs, until about his feet. There was an IV drip in his arm, inserted through a chip in his scales. He had a mask over his face, and he instantly ripped it off.

He opened and closed his mouth, but accidentally... bit his lip? His canines were longer and pointier, but for some reason they retracted when he thought about it, leading him to believe that they had never been there in the first place.

He managed to locate the button to signal a nurse, and mashed it a couple of times.

A nurse ran into the room, accompanied by Jaune. “Hello. I see that you’re awake. My name is Jocelyn. How can I help you?” The nurse was calm, but Ren could sense some uneasiness.

“Here, let me explain,” Jaune cut in. “Basically, the White Fang was doing some serious research over there, and they developed a formula to turn a human into a faunus. I guess they figured if you can’t beat ‘em, make ‘em join you.” Jaune laughed nervously as his joke fell flat.

“So... I am a snake faunus, I take it?” Ren asked, trying to keep himself under control.

“Yeah. Do you want a mirror or something?” Jaune asked, trying to keep the mood light.

“Yes, thank you.” Ren nodded, and Jaune left the room in search of a mirror.

“Are you okay, Mister Ren? Are you in pain, or are you hungry or thirsty?” The nurse smiled, trying to do her job.

“Actually, a glass of water would be nice. But no, I’m not in pain or anything.” Ren replied sort of hastily, but the nurse nodded and left to fetch it nonetheless. It was disconcerting, and Ren suddenly remembered Nora.

She had been hit as well. Where was she? How was she doing? Was she okay? What sort of faunus was she? He just sat in his bed, and waited for Jaune and the nurse to return, hopefully with Nora. 

* * *

Nora was... alarmed, to say the least. She woke up in the hospital, the smell of alcohol drowning out nearly everything else. She opened her eyes, and everything was in black and white. Nora started to panic, and blinked a few times, hoping to clear all of the grey. In her panic, she ripped the IV out of her arm. Blood started to leak out of her arm, but she didn't feel it because an alarm went off, and she started to freak out in earnest, jumping out of the hospital bed. The alarm was so loud, blaring in her ears and leaving them ringing. She sank to her knees, and blinked constantly, trying to get the grey filter off of her eyes, (because that's what it had to be, right). She looked down and saw that she was wearing a hospital robe, tied loosely around her waist, and she briefly wondered what color it was. 

Something was brushing against her backside though. It was furry, and swishing rather obnoxiously. "What is this?" she asked to herself, hearing herself crystal clear, despite the fact that she had whispered the thought. Her head started to itch, and she scratched it, only to find two soft, furry things perched on her head. 

She stumbled back to the bed, alarm still blaring in her ears. At that moment a nurse came running in, Pyrrha close behind, and Nora screamed. "Who are you! What happened! Where's Ren!"

"Nora! Relax, Ren's fine, I promise, so just sit down so I can explain!" Pyrrha shouted, desperately trying to calm the redhead girl. 

Nora obeyed, and sat down on the bed, allowing Pyrrha to explain the situation. 

"Do you remember you and Ren getting hit with that shot?" 

Nora nodded.

"Well it was an experimental formula created by the White Fang to turn a human into a faunus. Apparently, it works."

"What type of faunus am I?" Nora asked, thinking of several possibilities herself. 

"I think dog, judging by the tail and ears. How's your eyesight?" 

"There's no color." Nora said, pouting.

"Definitely dog. Beacon is working on a cure as we speak." Pyrrha was calm and Nora tried to copy her.

"When can I leave? and where's Ren?" Nora asked, worried for her childhood friend.

"He's in another room. He's fine, and you can see him soon. For now, I would just rest." Pyrrha nodded. Her phone began to buzz, and she left the room with a quick nod. 

The nurse offered her food and water, but Nora refused, (thee hospital didn't have pancakes). For the first time in a long time, Nora was scared, and there was no one else she wanted to face this with but Ren.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So it looks like all of my chapters are going to be short. Yeah. Please review!


	3. First Day Back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ren and Nora are back at school, and JNPR has some nice bonding time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Arrives twenty years late without Starbucks*

When Lie Ren walked into the room where Nora was waiting, he almost didn’t recognize her. She was sitting in a slouched position, her new triangular ginger ears pressed flat against her hair. She wasn’t crying, just sitting there dejectedly as Pyrrha patted her back. At that moment, she looked up at him, and it was clear she took a double take as well.

“Ren?” She asked worriedly, before bolting into his arms, and tackling him in a hug. She clung to him, and she felt so warm against him. He held her, and Jaune and Pyrrha both smiled sadly as he patted her back reassuringly, just as Pyrrha had done moments ago.

“Ren, I can’t see colors anymore.” Nora’s voice was sadder than he’d ever heard it. “I know your eyes are pink, and your hair is black, and that your skin is this really pretty peach color, but I can’t see it anymore.”

He had to stop himself from gasping out loud. It was almost ironic that the most colorful girl on the planet could no longer see them. Even though his own vision felt a little off, he was sure that it was nothing in comparison.

“Shhhhh.” He said, hissing a little more than he would have liked, but he held her close while she cried softly into his chest. “It’ll be alright.”

Juane and Pyrrha gave him sympathetic look, and joined them to form a group hug after a nod of approval from Ren.

“It’s okay,” Jaune said, “we’ll get through this as a team.”

Nora laughed at the cheesy sentiment, but Ren felt her arms tighten around his waist. It was okay. They’d be able to make it through together, like Jaune had said, as a team.

 

* * *

 

Their first day back at school had taken place a week after they were discharged from

the hospital, and it was hard. The two were swarmed by people, who wanted to know about their new forms. Ren was clearly uncomfortable, as he was never a people person to begin with, and Nora was also on edge. Ren could see her new ears shaking, but the people swarming her didn’t seem to notice. The two of them looped their hands together, and Nora pushed through the others, dragging Ren along, while Jaune and Pyrrha tsked at people in a (vain) attempt to shoo away the crowd.

The lessons weren’t very challenging, but the amount of makeup word was definitely going to take a weekend to work through.

After school, Team JNPR had gone out for ice cream, wanting to get rid of some of the stress of the day. They took a seat in the sun, letting it shine on Ren, who appreciated it.

He had been subject to extreme cold sensitivity lately. Nora wrapped him in a hug, and they two of them enjoyed the warmth. Sometimes in classes, heavily air conditioned to fight off the heat, chilled him right to the bone, and he ended up snuggling up to Nora in class, and in the dorms, where they sat together under huge blanket piles.

“So, how was your first day back?” Jaune’s optimistic nature never ceased to impress.

“It was great!” Nora shouted, but Ren could tell that some of her enthusiasm was forced.

“Really!” Both of them spun off into some sort of chatter, while Pyrrha laid her hand comfortingly on Ren’s shoulder and nodded with a smile.

The day went pleasantly after that, and the four of them sat on top of the roof, the four of them working on schoolwork together. Pyrrha was the first to finish, and she made sure to explain things to Ren or Nora when they needed something. Jaune was next to finish, and actually fell asleep on the warm tiles of the roof. Nora quit with only two thirds of her work done, but Pyrrha congratulated her nonetheless and seemed impressed with her progress.

Enjoying the heat, Ren turned his face to the sun, his emerald scales somewhat translucent in the sunlight.

“Are you actually sunning yourself?” Jaune’s joking incredulous tone brought a smile to Ren’s face.

“Yes, Jaune. Classrooms are like the arctic to me now.”

His words dampened the jovial mood, and Pyrrha sobered up almost instantly. “About your... transformation.” She looked to Jaune, and started to bite at the corner of her lip.

Jaune tensed up a bit, and sighed, before steeling himself to deliver the news.

“Ozpin wants to talk to us as a team. You guys have all been doing well so far, but he looked kind of serious when he told me...”

“When were you going to tell us about this?” Nora’s dark tone seemed to catch the leader off guard.

“Well, the meeting is in his office at, uh, seven? Yeah, seven  so. I guess I would have told you right before that?”

He met Nora’s eyes, and both of them kept uneasy eye contact Nora broke it, going back to her former peaceful expression. “I guess I shouldn’t be mad at you. I wouldn’t want to tell me that kind of thing either.”

Jaune and Pyrrha visibly relaxed. “Yeah. I guess since you guys are done, all of us should try to get ready soon. It’s...” Sliding out his phone to check the time, he nearly dropped it in shock. “It’s six fifty three! Crap! I hope you’re ready now.”

Pyrrha sighed at their leader’s carelessness, but nonetheless started to gather her things. Ren and Nora followed suit, and the three of them jogged through the halls to Ozpin’s office. By the time they got there, all of them were out of breath, and Jaune was actually doubled over.

“Just the people I was waiting for.”

Ozpin gestured to the area in front of him, while Glynda stood from her perch over his shoulder, and she nodded to each of them in turn.

“We have some news of sorts for you about the night you were attacked, and some interesting results for Ren and Nora.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am not proud of my record pitiful update time at all and I am sorry. This was a side project to begin with, but I didn't mean to neglect it this much. I don't even dare to give a predicted update because it wouldn't be accurate, but hey this fic isn't all dead, it's just not super alive. Please comment I live for comments.


	4. In Ozpin's Office

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Read the title.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Would you look at that, an actual update on schedule.

“What do you mean by interesting?” Jaune asked, nervously wringing his hands, and exchanged looks with each of the other team members in turn.

Ozpin placed a file on his desk, and pushed it towards them. “The location that you were attacked at was an abandoned medical facility, and that there was suspected white fang activity there. We told you that much in your mission debriefing, but there was a little more to it. One of our spies told us rumors of a faunus serum under testing, and that humans were going missing in the nearby area. We lost contact with them a few weeks ago, and so we sent the four of you in.”

Ren opened the folder and paled, before slamming it shut again.

“What you’re holding right there,” Ozpin noted, face grim, “Is the incident report of some of the other things we found there, after we pulled you out. I assure your mission was only meant to be reconnaissance.”

Fidgeting, Nora reached over to the folder, and opened it as delicately as possible. She gasped as the cover flapped onto the desk, and Pyrrha put a hand over her mouth. Jaune gagged.

Inside the folder were pictures of bodies, horribly mutilated, and a substantial stack of missing persons reports. Some of the victims had strange bone growths, where the stark white pierced their skin. Others had eyes blackened or bleeding, and sometimes the victims were clawing at them. One person had skin scratched raw, but obvious scales in patches across the uneven skin. It was a grisly sight, but Glynda and Ozpin simply hardened their faces and nodded solemnly at team JNPR.

Glynda cleared her throat. “We had no idea that it would be this dangerous, and we apologize.”

Nora shook her head, and put on one of her cheerful smiles. “Don’t worry Miss Goodwitch! If we kept people safe, then we did our job.”

With smiles of their own, Glynda and Ozpin looked at each other, then at Team JNPR, with a little more respect than they had before. Then, Ozpin clapped his hands together. “On a more positive note, we did get a more thorough analysis on the serum that Miss Valkyrie and Mister Ren were injected with.”

Nora’s ears started to twitch visibly, and both of their eyes sparkled with excitement.

“As far as Ren’s DNA, it seems to have been fused with a green tree pit viper. The species generally prefers water. They strike very quickly, so Ren may end up increasing his speed. They’re also nocturnal, so all of you should be prepared to accommodate an interesting sleep schedule.”

Jaune groaned. “He already has wierd hours.”

“Well then, you may not notice much of a difference” he said, chuckling softly.

Ren raised his hand and said, “Aren’t vipers usually venomous?”

Ozpin sighed. “You’re correct. According to your recent x-ray, you have developed retractable fangs, and you do have some poison, but it’s of a fairly low toxicity.”

With a sigh of relief, Ren nodded. Nora was about ready to explode. “What about me?”

“Well,”Ozpin began, “Nora’s genetics are now another matter entirely. Her genetics cannot be attributed to any particular dog, and many of the bodies from the White Fang’s experiments were mix-breed. It seems that with dog faunus, the mutts were more stable for some reason.”

Nora’s face fell. “So you don’t know what I am.”

Pyrrha placed a hand on her shoulder. “Do any of us?” she asked, trying to lighten the mood, and Nora smiled at the attempt.

Glynda and Ozpin smiled approvingly at the gesture, and Glynda cut in. “It’s not exactly like that. We think that you have at least some terrier and spaniel, both of which are hunting dogs. You should expect increased energy levels, as well as heightened senses, in most fields. I don’t suppose your color vision returned?”

Nora shook her head. “I’m getting used to it though.”

Glynda shrugged. “We have our labs working on an antidote as we speak, but we have more than our fair share of other problems to deal with. It’s not fair to get your hopes up, though, because so far the change doesn’t look reversible.”

Pyrrha moved herself so that she was essentially hugging Nora from behind, while Nora reached for Ren’s hand. Jaune moved one of his own hand to Ren’s arm, and another to rest on top of Nora’s head.

Ozpin seemed touched by the group’s supportive dynamic. “In the meantime, are there any accommodations we can make for your team?

Ren pursed his lips. “If we could get a few heating pads for my bed and a heat lamp for our room that would be... much appreciated. It gets a little cold during the nights.” The early nights back in the dorm had been a challenge. Ren got cold so easily, and it had started to affect his attitude and energy levels. Nearly all of his homework had to be done while he was under the presence of some sort of light, and it was starting to keep Pyrrha and Jaune up at night.

During the nights, he had crawled into Nora’s bed on multiple occasions, searching for even the slightest bit of warmth.

“That can be easily arranged. Any other things?”

The team collectively shook their heads.

“Well in that case, you’re all dismissed. We’ll contact you if there is any news.”

Team JNPR shuffled out of the room, relieved that the meeting had gone better than expected.

“Now that that’s over with...” Jaune began “Who wants to have some breakfast for dinner!”

Nora shouted “Me!” and Pyrrha and Ren nodded. All was well with the team.

 

* * *

 

Back in his office, Glynda stared passively at Ozpin. “Is there any reason you didn’t tell them about the attack yesterday?”

Ozpin smiled somberly. “They’ll find out soon enough. It seems like the White Fang is upping the ante.”

Glynda tsked, but her mind was already calculating. “Then I guess we just need to up ours as well.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As much as I'm riding the season three hype train, I'm not sure that this is going to have another update for a while, just because I'm so busy with all of my classes, but in the mean time, you can enjoy this chapter.


End file.
